The Dubliner Magazine

F**k Off

Cockney brat grabs points for swear words

The Irish Times on-line might be nice and free now, but it still can't compete with our cousins across the water for dynamite news stories.

Oh the Old Lady What Used to Live on D'Olier street may have the scoop on Mugabe's landslide victory (congrats Rob!) or that Sophie Toscan du Plantier's body is going to be dug up, but could it tell you that a British student was awarded marks for writing an expletive on his English language paper?

I f***ing thought not.

"Is this what you're made of?"

"He said I was brave, as my knuckles hit the pavement..."

For the past month, a remarkably sensual and soulful singer named Olga Nunes has been posting one-minute songs, three times a week, on her website.

The results have been haunting, particularly 'Feather' - quoted above - which has been stuck in my head for weeks.

Check out the full selection here.

Al Gore meets Al Qaeda

Explosive New Comedy Previews in Dublin

In a desperate bid to reduce US carbon emissions, an environmentalist joins Al Qaeda. An explosive new comedy, about implementing the polluter pays principle.

This is the premise behind Eco-Friendly Jihad – the second show from The Dubliner's own Abie Philbin Bowman, described by Time magazine recently as “a rising star on the Irish stand-up scene”. Abie's debut, Jesus: The Guantanamo Years sold out across Ireland, and at the Edinburgh Fringe 2006–7; toured London’s West End, the USA and Pakistan; and was even boycotted by Ian Paisley’s DUP. (It's now available iTunes).

Abie observes, “I know some people will assume that I just sandwich controversial issues together for the sake of a catchy title. But the truth is that I'm a hardcore news junkie. So inevitably, I write jokes about what’s in the headlines. If I’d wanted to generate controversy, I would have called my show Confessions of a Gay Iranian Abortionist." 

Summer Treats by Andrew and Ruth

The Houseworks chefs share some simple, seasonal recipes – Glazed chicken salad, Smoked haddock mousse and Homemade lemonade

Honey and Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad with Pine Nuts and Feta Cheese

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2oz pine nuts;  2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tbsp clear honey; 2 tsp wholegrain mustard; 1 large chicken breast cut into fillets; olive oil, for brushing; 2oz rocket leaves; 4 oz feta cheese; salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dublin Man Removes Clothing in Public

Conor Horgan joined the masses who undressed for art in Dublin last weekend.

We sped towards the South Wall at 4.00 a.m. The streets were empty but we were late and starting to feel a little anxious that both of us might not get in. I'd registered a week ago, but they'd closed the list before K had arrived from Rome and it was such a balmy night that every amateur nudist in Dublin was probably there ahead of us. The sea of cars in the temporary car park didn't reassure us much.

Prince Amongst Men

Can I get a witness?

Prince may have cancelled on us this month, but maybe he'll call to your door some day if you're lucky. Or not, according to this Jonathan Safran sketch from the vaults.

Life for Sale

Aussie sells his life to highest bidder

Ian Usher is selling his life. All of it. And you can have it. And all at the low low cost of two million Aussie squids (or E1,350,000 of your Euro dollars).

You get to ride a motorcyle, jet ski around the harbour,  live in paradise and, er, work as a carpet salesman.

Before The Critics: David Norris

How long have you been doing this show about Joyce?
It seems ancient. I’ve been doing it in various forms for 30 years. The first time it was ever performed was on Bloomsday, June the 16th, 1968, in the Players Theatre in Trinity College. It was a two-hander with Ronnie Drew. I did the Joyce bits and it was intercut by wonderful Dublin street songs rendered by Ronnie. Over the years it has changed and it was drastically revised during the so-called window of opportunity after the writings of James Joyce came out of copyright. It turned into a one-man show which I have taken all over the world.

All over the world?
Yes. I suppose among the most memorable places I have performed were Beirut in the middle of a mortar bombardment, and on Broadway, where I filled a 1,200-seater cinema which had been converted into a theatre.
 

My Life On A Plate

Helen Lucy Burke recalls the 10 most memorable meals of her life.

1 An Enduring Aroma
Durians are the stuff of legend. Gigantic fruit that can weigh up to 60 pounds, encased in thick armour with sharp spikes standing up like the weapon of a medieval knight. Better not stand under the tree when they are in season. What they are chiefly renowned for, among Westerners, is their appalling smell. (You can be arrested in the Far East for bringing one onto an airplane.) In 1990, Quinnsworth in Mount Merrion sent me one to taste.

My Abyssinian cat Tigger was a notable gourmet, as eager as I, and less daunted by the smell. And when you get hooked, you stay hooked.

The taste has something of the pineapple about it, something of cream cheese, and something of an overflowing sewer combined with someone suffering from flatulence. But ah, the taste! We fought for it, Tigger and I...

You can buy them in season at a nasty price in the Asian market. And you owe yourself, you owe yourself. A completely new taste and sensation at your age? A must.

Quinnsworth used to send a durian each year afterwards, addressed pleasantly to Ms. Tigger Burke. Graciously, she allowed me to share.

Marian Keyes Goes Dark

Marian Keyes 
This Charming Man

Her latest book is being touted as a move away from chick lit but, says Bridget Hourican, although the subject matter has changed, the style has not

With this book, Marian Keyes’ publishers are anxious to distance her from the chick-lit pack. Press releases underline that she has “hit her stride” and moved into darker terrain.

This Charming Man is told through the voices of four very different women – Lola is a ditzy stylist, whose voice is pure Bridget Jones meets Jilly Cooper; Grace is an investigative journalist with a direct, hard-hitting, no-nonsense tone; Marnie is a housewife, just returned to work, and an alcoholic; Alicia has just become engaged to an up-and-coming politician, and sounds like a brittle, insecure socialite. Such diverse voices allow Keyes to display her virtuosity.